The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the most active teams this offseason, and they are reportedly done switching things up. The Lakers have added six players and made five trades over the last two weeks, including sending Deandre Ayton to the Washington Wizards yesterday.
Lakers Searching to Improve Club At Wing and Center
Los Angeles entered the offseason with the second most cap space in the NBA, and the Lakers have certainly taken advantage. However, they have not achieved everything they wanted.
LA’s main priority this offseason was to re-sign Austin Reaves, which they accomplished with a max four-year deal worth $184.7 million. The Lakers also acquired the center they have been looking for for years, Walker Kessler, via sign-and-trade. They have also brought in Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin Sexton and Jaden Hardy.
The Lakers have 13 players under contract with a salary cap hit of $192.76 million. Therefore, the Lakers are $7.6 million under the luxury tax threshold. They are also $16.2 million from being hardcapped at the first apron.
For all their moves, the Lakers have only three sure-fire starters: Luka Doncic, Reaves, and Kessler. The Lakers need a starting-caliber small forward and power forward.
Grimes has demonstrated he can be productive as a starter so that JJ Redick may put him out there alongside Reaves and Doncic for his defensive capabilities. Starting Grimes would severely hamper the Lakers’ offensive bench production unless rookie Cameron Carr is ready from Day 1, Hardy continues to grow, or Dalton Knecht reverts to his rookie production. Knecht is not playing in the Summer League this year.
Carr has shown the ability to score against NBA-caliber players early in the NBA Summer League, as the Lakers are playing in the California Classic. Through two games, Carr has scored 45 points on 45.2% shooting from the field and has knocked down 9 of 20 (45%) 3-point attempts.
Sexton is also a candidate to start in the backcourt. But Sexton’s defensive fit alongside Doncic and Reaves would leave the Lakers vulnerable.
As it stands now, Mamukelashvili figures to compete with Jake LaRavia and Jarred Vanderbilt for the starting power forward spot. Mamukelashvili is coming off the best season of his career, though the 27-year-old has spent most of his career coming off the bench. LaRavia is also coming off a career season and is capable of playing both forward spots. Meanwhile, Vanderbilt has struggled since joining the Lakers.
How Could The Lakers Upgrade Roster?
According to NBA Insider Evan Sidery, LA is actively shopping Knecht and Vanderbilt in hopes of securing a starting-caliber wing. However, the Lakers don’t have many future draft assets to include, as none of their three first-round selections are currently tradeable. They also have only three second-round selections (2031, 2032, 2033).
The Lakers are actively shopping Dalton Knecht and Jarred Vanderbilt in trade talks.
After gaining two second-round picks in the Deandre Ayton trade, Los Angeles could consolidate those assets in a deal immediately for a starting-caliber wing. pic.twitter.com/9tBaBxRscJ
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) July 3, 2026
Los Angeles has already been linked to unrestricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga and considered a suitor for Peyton Watson. Speaking of Watson, after being steadfast in their desire to re-sign him, the Denver Nuggets are now open to a sign-and-trade involving the 23-year-old.
“The Denver Nuggets intend to match any offers for restricted free agent Peyton Watson when the NBA’s moratorium lifts on Monday, said league sources who were granted anonymity to discuss the ongoing negotiations,” The Athletic’s Sam Amick said late last night. “Yet as the Nuggets and Watson’s agent, Rich Paul of the Klutch Sports Group, have continued to be apart in negotiations for a new contract, sources say Denver is also very open to the prospect of a sign-and-trade for the 23-year-old forward. As we’ve seen several times this offseason, the rules relating to restricted free agency have created a challenging landscape for players in that position.”
Watson, known as a 3-and-D wing, is coming off a career year, though injuries limited him to just 54 games. The long and athletic Watson would be an excellent fit along Reaves and Doncic due to his improved shooting and defensive versatility.
This past season, Watson averaged 14.1 points and 1.5 threes with shooting splits of 49.1/41.1/73.0. He also had 16 games with 20+ points, including four with 30+ points, and recorded two double-doubles.
2 Centers Reportedly Emerge For Lakers
By trading Ayton and seeing Jaxson Hayes land in Utah as a free agent, the Lakers are very thin up front even with the acquisition of Mamukelshivilli. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Kevon Looney and Jonas Valanciunas are on the Lakers’ radar.
Looney, whose $8 million team option was declined by the New Orleans Pelicans, is coming off his least productive season since his rookie campaign, as he played only 21 games for the Pelicans.
Looney projects as an ideal fit for the Lakers, as he is fundamentally sound and a low-usage big who can play both the 4 and 5. The 30-year-old would bring stability to the team’s second unit, as he is a good rebounder, screener, and IQ defender. He would also likely cost the Lakers the vet minimum.
The Lakers have been interested in Valanciunas for a while. Valanciunas is coming off the least productive campaign of his NBA career and is now a backup. He is still under contract with the Nuggets, though only $2 of his $10 million is guaranteed. But the Nuggets are looking to move on from the 34-year-old center.
LA’s Trades This Offseason
If the Lakers were to make another trade or more, it would be their biggest move this offseason. Here is a look at the Lakers’ trades this summer.
Los Angeles’ first trade was sending their 2026 No. 25 pick, Sergio de Larrea, in a four-team deal that also included cash, Chinemelu Elonu, and Louis Labeyrie to the New York Knicks for their No. 24 selection, Cameron Carr.
Also, during the draft, LA acquired Russian shooting guard Vsevolod Ishcenko, the No. 56 pick, from Chicago. They then sent Ishcenko to Dallas for cash on June 24.
The Lakers’ fourth trade was the acquisition of Kessler from Utah in a sign-and-trade. The Jazz received the Lakers’ 2031 and 2033 unprotected first-round selections and 2026 and 2028 first-round pick swaps.
Their most recent deal was to exile Ayton to the Wizards in exchange for Hardy and two future second-round picks (2031, 2032).
Photo credit: Kirby Lee, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
